The search function in mail has virtually stopped working

What's going on???? I can no longer find anything using the search function in Apple Mail Version 5.2 (running on OS 10.7.4).
If I put in the name of someone I have exchenged maybe 500 emails with, it only finds one or two, or maybe none. The same with key words. And I can suddenly no longer search for partial email addresses (like @bankofamerica.com).
I tried rebuilding some of my bigger mail boxes, and a) it took a LONG time and b) it didn't help.
I have not made any chenges in my software, and a week ago I seemed to be searching just fine.
Any idea what might have happened and how to fix it?
Thank you!

Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.
The title of the Console window should be All Messages. If it isn't, select
SYSTEM LOG QUERIES ▹ All Messages
from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select
View ▹ Show Log List
from the menu bar at the top of the screen.
Click the Clear Display icon in the toolbar. Then try again to re-index Spotlight. Select any messages that appear in the Console window. Copy them to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste into a reply to this message by pressing command-V.
The log contains a vast amount of information, almost all of which is irrelevant to solving any particular problem. When posting a log extract, be selective. A few dozen lines are almost always more than enough.
Please don't indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.
Please don't post screenshots of log messages—post the text.
Some private information, such as your name or email address, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.

Similar Messages

In OS Yosemite the search function in Mail, Finder, Spotlight- does not work

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013)
2,6 GHz Intel Core i7
16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2048 MB
OS Yosemite,
Finder versión 10.10.1
Mail Versión 8.1 (1993)
In OS Yosemite the search function in Mail, Finder, Spotlight… does not work. Messages or documents with the search criteria are there and one could find them manually, but the search function fails to find them. Following advice from Apple Support (728965377):
1. I applied an Apple protocol for adware removal (Remove unwanted adware that displays pop-up ads and graphics on your Mac); I had none, because I had formally utilized a similar protocol that I had found in Internet, actually an app that implemented automatically Apple's adware removal protocol.
2. I rebuild the post boxes in Mail (Mail (Yosemite): Reconstruir buzones); It took a while but it functioned properly
3. I re-install the System (OS X Yosemite: Reinstalar OS X); It took about 4 hours but there was no problem whatsoever with the installation.
Afterwards I searched for messages in Mail, and documents in Finder and Spotlight, without any difficulty. The search function in all of them was working properly. But the next time that I needed to search messages or documents, an hour later or so, the problem reappear and a couple of new issues occurred:
1. in app RagTime 6.5.2 (Build 1821), www.ragtime.de, the menu bar disappears (it is invisible), when one performs certain operations, e. g., calculating a value with a formula, whether it is in a spreadsheet or some other component (text, drawing, etc.). After touching with the cursor the menu bar is visible again.
2. after reading an e-mail in Mail or copying an address, this is seeing as a floating object in the finder and over every application. There is no logical way to get rid of the floating object and neither copying or deleting or cutting it. It is not a big issue but nonetheless bothersome.
3. In Mail, messages with Flag or in VIP contacts cannot be seen in the appropriate folders, only in the Incoming mail folder, together with other messages. It seems to me, this issue is part of same search function problem.
4. The preview function within Mail does not show the attached documents to a message, whether it is in the IN, OUT or Draft boxes.

Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.
The title of the Console window should be All Messages. If it isn't, select
SYSTEM LOG QUERIES ▹ All Messages
from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select
View ▹ Show Log List
from the menu bar at the top of the screen.
Click the Clear Display icon in the toolbar. Then try again to re-index Spotlight. Select any messages that appear in the Console window. Copy them to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste into a reply to this message by pressing command-V.
The log contains a vast amount of information, almost all of which is irrelevant to solving any particular problem. When posting a log extract, be selective. A few dozen lines are almost always more than enough.
Please don't indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.
Please don't post screenshots of log messages—post the text.
Some private information, such as your name or email address, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.

The search function in App Store, is not working in my iPhone 4, after upgrading to ios6

The search function in App Store, is not working in my iPhone 4, after upgrading to ios6. Does anyone have a solution for this problem?

Having the same problem. No response from Apple as I tried all the suggestions. Had to perform a system restore. Currently iy's working. Make sure you backup everything to your computer. IOS6 is still glitchy in other areas.

HT4623 My voice mail has suddenly stopped working. A caller just hears ringing for a long tome and then it disconnects. Does anyone know how to get it back or how VM stopped working? Thanks.

Hi everyone. My voicemail just stopped working. A caller today said they got a message that it was not activated or something like that. When I called it from another phone all I got was ringing for a long time and then a disconnect. I have had this phone for about three months and it has been working until now.
I updated software and turned the phone off and on again. Any other suggestions? Thanks.
Joan

Jneklason wrote:
~snip~
I know this email is confusing and really hard to understand...perhaps now you will know how i've been feeling--lost and confused with all the mis-information, with a hit and miss phone, and out of time with all the 1 1/2 hr to 2 hrs EACH wasted on this issue.
On top of all this, I can't even find out how to file a complaint with anyone higher up than Customer Service.
I hate to tell you this, but you didn't write an email. You wrote a discussion post on the Verizon Wireless Community forum which is a public peer to peer forum. Unfortunately since you didn't mark your post as a question, the VZW reps that roam this community won't ever see your post. Before you re-post it, don't. Duplicate posts get removed from the community.
I see there were several missteps both by the reps and yourself in your post. First you should have insisted on returning the phone within the 14 day return policy period. Second which Samsung Galaxy mini model did you purchase? The S3 mini or the S4 mini? Did you do any research prior to deciding on this device. The reps at that time deflected the easiest course of action, by trying to get you to replace the phone under insurance instead of returning the phone. The Early Edge payment option requires the current phone on the line using the early Edge must be returned to Verizon Wireless. Did you once considered going to a third party site like Swappa to purchase a gently used device for your daughter?

TS3276 my e mail has suddenly stopped working

my e mail suddenly stopped working , having been receiving messages all morning

Maybe this thread will help. You can also look at other threads with the same problem by using the "More Like This" box.
https://discussions.apple.com/message/19949268#19949268
I hope this helps.

The search function on iPhone 4S hardly ever works

From the home page, when I flick left to get to the search page, this feature almost never works. I usually have to turn the phone off, back on again, and then I get to do ONE or TWO searches before it stops working again. Since this appears to be the only way I can search my contacts by "company" rather than contact name, it is a real problem.
Any solutions?

I have tried this. I have the iPhone 4, with the most recent os. Nothing works permanently . Issue comes and goes. Apple really needs to address this. I called support, they wanted me to pay $60! I told them I'm not paying for a mistake that they made.
Any other possibilities for a fix?

My ipod touch screen is cracked from the bottom left corner to the middle button, my button has recently stopped working and i was wondering if this has caused or has another problem occurred, please help me?!ha

any help or suggestions? someone technical??

Doesn't matter if the crack is causing the button to stop working not, that won't be covered under warranty.

When using the search function in mail I only see results from the current year. how can I see results from all years?

When searching mail results only contain messages from the current year. I'd like to see results from all years. This just started after upgrading from Snow leopard to Lion.

Many site issues can be caused by corrupt cookies or cache. In order to try to fix these problems, the first step is to clear both cookies and the cache.
Note: ''This will temporarily log you out of all sites you're logged in to.''
To clear cache and cookies do the following:
#Go to Firefox > History > Clear recent history or (if no Firefox button is shown) go to Tools > Clear recent history.
#Under "Time range to clear", select "Everything".
#Now, click the arrow next to Details to toggle the Details list active.
#From the details list, check ''Cache'' and ''Cookies'' and uncheck everything else.
#Now click the ''Clear now'' button.
Further information can be found in the [[Clear your cache, history and other personal information in Firefox]] article.
Did this fix your problems? Please report back to us!

Mac mail has just stopped working, and won't recognize my password, mac mail has just stopped working, and won't recognize my password, mac mail has just stopped working, and won't recognize my password

It just stopped receiving, and now wont send either. It will not recognize the password when I put it in.
My ISP says its an issue with my mac mail program

Posted in error.

HT4597 My mail has suddenly stopped working.

I changed over to icloud a few weeks back and my mail (application) was working fine. All good.
As of today, my mail (app) account now keeps rejecting my password - although if I log into icloud, my mail is fine.
I've tried setting up a new account but it rejects this.
My incoming mail server is listed as mail.me.com

Welcome to the Apple community.
Delete your mail account from Mail preferences and set it up again using the Mail Server Information.
Some users have apparently encountered issues using this information in pre-Lion set ups (I haven't), Roger Wilmut has kindly provided instructions for those who find themselves with this problem.
Entering iCloud email settings manually in Snow Leopard or Leopard

Push Mail has suddenly stopped working?

Hi there,
I purchased my new 5S last Thursday (15th) and set up a new iCloud E-Mail account at the same time. I then proceeded to transfer all my accounts, Facebook ect onto the new E-Mail address. I also set up iCloud on Windows 8 Mail so I would recieve push notifications of new mail.
The other day I had to reset my laptop back to Windows 7, and on doing so it seems to have messed up Push with my iCloud account. My phone will no longer get push E-Mails and I have to go into the app itself to get E-Mail. I have removed the account, re-added it, reset the device, multiple things. Push is enabled obviously, and I am really at a loss as to what the issue is. Please help!

Have you tried accessing your email account via a browser to see if your provided might be performing maintenance ?
If not then you could try closing the Mail app completely and then see if it works when you re-open it : from the home screen (i.e.not with the Mail app 'open' on-screen) double-click the home button to bring up the taskbar, then press and hold any of the apps on the taskbar for a couple of seconds or so until they start shaking, then press the '-' in the top left of the Mail app to close it, and touch any part of the screen above the taskbar so as to stop the shaking and close the taskbar.
If that doesn't work then you could try a reset : press and hold both the sleep and home buttons for about 10 to 15 seconds (ignore the red slider), after which the Apple logo should appear - you won't lose any content, it's the iPad equivalent of a reboot.
Another option is try switching the account off and on in settings : Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars , then tap the account on the right and slide/tap Mail to off (it will be Account if it's a pop account ) , tap 'Done' and exit settings and then go back in and slide/tap it back on

HT1338 On macbook MAIL the search function doesn't work?

On my macbook retina pro with latest updated softwares the search function in "MAIL" doesnt work. It is supposed to be pretty simple fucntion and on my iphone and othe rmail programs it works fine. However once i type anything in "Search bar" at top right then inbox goes empty and nothing appears. Whereas the search bar gives options of sveral email names etc, even if i select one. It doesn't work.
Pls help. best regards. NA

Which search function do you mean?
*searching via the location bar (pref: keyword.URL)
*search bar on the Navigation Toolbar
*search bar on the about:home page (pref: browser.search.defaultenginename)
*other search bar (e.g. added by extension)
Is this about the about:home page?
If there is a problem with searching via the default about:home page then try to reset the search engine used on the about:home page.
Reset the browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone pref via the right-click context menu to the default on the about:config page and close and restart Firefox to restore the about:home page to its default.
*http://kb.mozillazine.org/about:config
#Open the about:config page via the location bar
#Type in the Filter bar: mstone
#Right-click the browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone line and select: Reset
#Close and restart Firefox
If this didn't help then delete the delete the chromeappsstore.sqlite file in the Firefox Profile Folder and repeat the above.
You can use the SearchReset extension to reset some preferences to the default values.
*https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/searchreset/
Note that the SearchReset extension only runs once and then uninstalls automatically, so it won't show on the "Firefox > Add-ons" page (about:addons).

The searching function can't work in my itune app, but why? And how can I fix it?

The searching function of iTune store doesn't work? How can I fix it??

Hi,
Try resetting your iPod: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1430.
Hope this helps!
---likeabird---

Mail Server suddenly stopped working

My mail server has stopped working, and I can't figure out why. This is a brand new MacMini with the latest Maverics Server (preinstalled) that I just setup last month. (We migrated from an Xserve running 10.6.) Up to this point, mail has worked flawlessly.
This afternoon I used the Server app to create a new user. I then went about setting them up for ssh access and installing a public/private keypair (this is for a git repository). Around the same time, my mail server simply stopped working. As far as I know, no other configuration changes were made.
When I go into the Mail service in the Server app the status perpetually says "Starting...". The 'postfix status' command says that postfix is not running. I've checked every log and error file, and I can only find three anomolies:
The SMTP log file reports:
Feb 11 01:31:06 mail.gloaming.com postfix/postmap[7152]: warning: /Library/Server/Mail/Data/scanner/amavis/local_domains.db: duplicate entry: "mail.gloaming.com"
This warning has been logged before, several weeks earlier, so I assume it's not a serious problem.
The other warning is:
Feb 11 00:10:49 mail.gloaming.com postfix/postfix-script[23141]: warning: not owned by _postfix: /Library/Server/Mail/Data/mta/./guid_device_maps.plist
Other threads seem to indicate that this warning is benign.
The only other problem that looks really suspicious (to me) is in the system.log:
Feb 11 01:22:52 mail.gloaming.com ocspd[4947]: ERROR: unable to get the receiver data from the DB!
I'm not sure what that means, but it doesn't sound good.
Some threads point a finger at the virus and junk mail scanners. If I disable all mail filtering, the mail server status will finally change to "Serving mail at mail.gloaming.com". But it isn't. All attempts to get mail from the server are refused.
(Oh, and I've restarted the server several times.)
The postconf command tells me that the postfix system isn't accepting outside connections:
inet_interfaces = loopback-only
So it would appear that Server is setting this. Any attempt to change it back to "= all" fails, as the server software overwrites it with "= loopback-only" at its first possible opportunity. (Editing the main.cf file and reloading postfix doesn't fix it either.)
Here's the really strange part. The server just started do this today. I recovered a backup of the main.cf file from yesterday and diffed it with the one that's not working:
mail:postfix root# diff /Library/Server/Mail/Config/postfix/main.cf /Users/admin/Desktop/main.cf
675c675
< inet_interfaces = loopback-only
> inet_interfaces = all
682c682
< smtpd_helo_restrictions = reject_non_fqdn_helo_hostname reject_invalid_helo_hostname
> smtpd_helo_restrictions = reject_invalid_helo_hostname reject_non_fqdn_helo_hostname
692c692
< mydestination = $myhostname, localhost.$mydomain, localhost, mail.gloaming.com
> mydestination = $myhostname, localhost.$mydomain, localhost, mail.gloaming.com, $mydomain
712d711
< postscreen_dnsbl_sites = zen.spamhaus.org*2
As you can see, the Server software has deliberatly started setting inet_interfaces to loopback-only and I can't figure out how to get it to set it back to "all".
Some of the other threads have suggested "wipe and reinstall", but I've spent three weeks setting up this sever and shipping it to a co-location facility—starting over really isn't an option.
I'd really just want to know why the Server software is suddently configuring the mail server so it won't receive any mail!

The mystery continues.
This morning, I decided to take a fresh look at what's going on by recovering a backup copy of my entire /Library/Server/Mail/Config directory from last month. Looking at the item capture list, it shows that none of the files in my Mail/Config directory have changed since late last month.
Here are the disturbing changes.
In Server/Mail/Config/dovecot/dovecot.conf, there is one different line.
working:
 protocols = imap pop3 lmtp sieve
now:
 protocols = lmtp sieve
So clearly, the server doesn't think we should be running IMAP or POP. Which is probably the root of the problem.
In Server/Mail/Config/postfix/mail.cf, there are a number of minor/cosmetic differences, but the problematic ones appear to be
working:
 inet_interfaces = all
 mydestination = $myhostname, localhost.$mydomain, localhost, mail.gloaming.com, $mydomain
now:
 inet_interfaces = loopback-only
 mydestination = $myhostname, localhost.$mydomain, localhost, mail.gloaming.com
Again, this configuration would imply that there are no public mail services.
Some other odd change occured in the Server/Mail/Config/postfix/main.cf file
working:
 smtpd pass - - n - - smtpd
 pickup fifo n - n 60 1 pickup
 -o content_filter=smtp-amavis:[127.0.0.1]:10024
now:
 smtpd pass - - n - - smtpd
 -o receive_override_options=no_address_mappings
 pickup fifo n - n 60 1 pickup
 -o content_filter=
Reading through some other posts, I also found another inexplicable change reported by other users having similar problems. The /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/org.postfix.master.plist suddenly changed.
working:
 <key>OnDemand</key>
 <false/>
 <key>ProgramArguments</key>
 <array>
 <string>master</string>
 <string>-c</string>
 <string>/Library/Server/Mail/Config/postfix</string>
 </array>
now:
 <key>OnDemand</key>
 <true/>
 <key>ProgramArguments</key>
 <array>
 <string>master</string>
 <string>-c</string>
 <string>/Library/Server/Mail/Config/postfix</string>
 <string>-e</string>
 <string>60</string>
 </array>
The postfix service is now "OnDemand" with a new, and myserious, "-e 60" option added. (I can find no documentation for an -e option in the postfix control tool.)
Ultimately, I "fixed" the problem by restoring the backup copy of my entire /Library/Server/Mail/Config folder, the /System/Library/LaunchDaemon/org.postfix.master.plist file, and immedately restarting the server. The mail servers started and everything appears to be normal.
But this whole experience has made me very learly of the Server app. Why did these configuration changes occur? What settings or circumstances caused them to spontaniously change to an, essentually, unusable state? I'm now afriad of making any changes via Server.app for fear it will decide I shouldn't have a working mail server again.
If anyone has any insights, I'd ver very interested in hearing them.
Message was edited by: James Bucanek

The find function in my calendar is not working.

I am running your Yosemite on a new MacBook Pro. The find function in calendar has suddenly ceased working. If I search for a name or an event even though I know it exists that name or event is not found.

Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
Step 1
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.
Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”
While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your documents or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this behavior; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.
Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?
After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.
*Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.
Step 2
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.
Please take this step regardless of the results of Step 1.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. You must hold down the shift key twice: once when you turn on the computer, and again when you log in.
Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to start up and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
Test while in safe mode. Same problem?
After testing, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of Steps 1 and 2.

The search function in mail has virtually stopped working

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